Samuel Beckett, Boulevard Saint Jacques, Paris, 1985

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John Minihan , Irish, b.1946

Title

Date2021

MediumGelatin silver print

Dimensions

61 × 50.8 cm

Credit LinePurchased, 2021

Object numberNGI.2021.118

DescriptionSamuel Beckett, Boulevard St. Jacques, Paris, 1985 is probably Minihan’s most notable portrait of Beckett. Interestingly, during their meeting in Paris, Beckett initially asked Minihan to leave his camera at home. The pair chatted over a whiskey in Le Petit Café at the PLM hotel on Boulevard St Jacques. Minihan gently pushed to do a picture, and Beckett relented, inviting him back the following day at 3pm. Minihan arrived at the cafe at 2pm and took a table by the window, to give him the light he needed. Minihan recalls this December day in detail: "He [Beckett] walked in on the stroke of three and when he saw me smiled: he knew exactly why I was sitting in that spot. We had a few coffees and talked and as the time went by, I could see the daylight beginning to go. It wasn't until ten to five that Sam said to me, 'Would you like to take a photograph here?' Another five minutes and the opportunity would have been lost. Sam knew it and was tantalising me. I took the Hasselblad out. I had framed the picture in my head; I knew exactly what I wanted. However, Beckett orchestrated that picture. As I focused the lens, Sam moved to stub out his cheroot. His demeanour changed immediately. It was as if I had ceased to exist. He moved his left hand down onto his knee and turned his gaze away." Minihan took another few shots outside on the boulevard. The entire shoot comprised just six frames.
Inscriptiontitle, date, © John Minihan
ProvenancePurchased, 2021